Reviews - Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

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Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

It takes a lot of courage to admit to being undocumented.
This book is a great introduction to how the undocumented immigration happens in the USA and what are the common struggles people go through. It's a very isolating experience to have to carry such a burden and have to constantly be afraid you will get find out.
I really like the parallels of coming out to someone as a gay person and as undocumented and how sometimes people separate into different groups like the friends who know you are gay and the family who knows you are undocumented. I also learned the term illegal was created as a right wing fear mongering term and should not be used, people can't be ilegal!

donnawr1's review

4.0

Jose Antonio Vargas arrived in the US, put on a flight by his mother in the Phillipeans when he was only 12. He lived with his grandparents and other family members legally residing in this country. He did not know he was undocumented until he turned 16 and tried to get a drivers permit. Suddenly his world changed and this interesting memoir describes his journey to prove he was worthy of being here, while initially hiding his true identity to pursue a promising career in journalism. He had many friends who helped him along the way, or he would not have been able to pull that off. Eventually he couldn't stand living in such a lie and he outed himself as undocumented, just as he had outed himself as a gay man many years earlier. Amazingly, Jose was not immediately deported, much to his own surprise, and he continues to work in this country for immigrants to tell their stories and keep some dignity. It was an easy read, informative and thought provoking as we learn about how immigration laws affect lives of real people.

taylorjones118's review

4.75

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

amykaycity's review

4.75

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

kberman20's review

3.75

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

Good book into the struggles that immigrants face in the US

jaanareads's review

4.5

emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

Read this as part of Filipino American History Month 🇵🇭

Really powerful and vulnerable story about American immigration - the culture and language surrounding it, the backwards and destructive systems and policies, the way it has destroyed countless lives and futures. This was also particularly resonant with me as the child of Filipino immigrants. Vargas's story is heartbreaking the whole way through, and it sheds a much-needed light on the state of American immigration and the destructive culture surrounding it (especially now, less than a month away from the 2024 election).

My favorite part of the book is how he emphasized all of the people in his life that have helped him in his journey. It really goes to show that strangers can change your life, and also that there are always people out there to show you love and care, despite feeling invisible to the governments, systems, and places that are meant to protect you.